Guns for games, clusters or separate objects

[archvilell]

The second model I ever made was a Mossberg shotgun, and it turned out looking good. I recently came back to it because now I'm trying to learn to skin stuff, and I have to connect all the geometry pieces I didn't do the first time.

Now I'm working on the action. I want to know if it is a good idea to merge all the objects into one object, then use clusters to select the bolt when I animate or should I leave it in multiple objects? I can constrain the pieces to the main gun so they move as one, but I don't know if the engine will like a multi-object model. I'm leaning towards clusters, but what do you guys think?

~Archvilell

 

[mindless_moder]

if by "clusters" you mean assigning the verts to different bones then yeah use clusters . thats how valve did more or less all the weapon models.

 

[archvilell]

In XSI, clusters mean separate sections of polygons for easy selectability... I think. I'm pretty sure I can assign them bones though. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

~Archvilell